DIGGER: one man, one pan and a million square miles of outback

A naïve Pom stops at a pub in a Goldfields ghost town. He’s equipped with a shovel, a suitcase of books and a dog with a stupid name. "I’d like to find some gold!" he announces brightly. The huge bloke behind the bar takes a pull on his cigarillo, squints through the smoke: "Yeah," he drawls quietly, "there’s a few around here who’d like to do that…"

For all other overseas orders, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

At the age of nine, Max Anderson dug holes in his parents' back garden hoping to find treasure. At 36, he dug another hole for himself: he quit his well-paid job to try his luck among the hard-bitten gold prospectors of the West Australian Goldfields.

Funny, honest and uplifting, DIGGER is an outback classic combining a modern adventure story with one of the greatest chapters in Australian history – the opening of the desert Goldfields.

When it was first published in the UK in 2005, DIGGER sold over 20,000 copies, with Reader’s Digest subsequently printing an abridged edition in four languages.

Now, Mining Family Matters is proud to launch this long-overdue third edition, complete with a revised introduction and 16 pages of unseen photos.

The perfect gift for old diggers, new diggers and people who've never been near a mine site, DIGGER is a heart-warming journey that brings to light priceless characters and gleaming rewards.

Our price of $24.95 includes free postage within Australia.

Reviews for DIGGER...

"As entertaining a book as I’ve read this year." - Sydney Morning Herald

"A classic adventure travel story with a final, almost incredible twist… Anderson is an excellent writer." - South China Morning Post

"Old-time prospectors know how to deal with this squeaky clean novice. But Anderson wins them over, as he wins over his readers, with his thoroughness, lack of pretension and an irrepressible enthusiasm." - Sunday Times, UK

"Anderson’s wit is tinder dry… his prose is elegant and crisp… a wonderful story" - Traveller

"This funny, contemplative book gripped me from start to finish." Christopher Wakling, author of What I Did

"The real mother lode he found was in chronicling the colourful characters of Kookynie – all thirteen of them. A rollicking diary…" Breakfast with Peter Thompson, ABC Radio National

Have you already read DIGGER? To share your thoughts on the book or offer a testimonial, click here.

To read more of Max Anderson's work, including travel stories published in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sunday Times, UK, visit www.maxanderson.com.au.